Temptation
The 1st Sunday of Lent
February 10, 2008
Homily by Fr. James Farfaglia
St. Helena of the True Cross Parish
Corpus Christi, Texas
Temptation
A Christian magazine once surveyed their subscribers regarding the areas of their greatest spiritual challenges. The results showed that their greatest temptation was materialism. After materialism, followed pride, self-centeredness, laziness, anger, lust, envy, gluttony, and finally lying.
The survey respondents noted temptations were frequent and more forceful when they had neglected their time with God and when they were physically tired. They stated that the ability to resist temptation was made easier by a strong spiritual life, avoiding compromising situations, and being accountable to someone.
Temptation will always be a part of our lives. No matter our age or the circumstances of our lives, temptation will be something that we have to deal with until the end of our journey here on earth.
Not every temptation is caused by Satan, so we need to look at the two causes of temptation.
Most temptations are caused by our fallen human nature. As we saw last Sunday, original sin has wounded our human nature. We simply do not have complete control over our mind, memory, imagination, will, passions and emotions. We will always struggle with something.
Sometimes we might be tempted to be lazy and sleep in, rather than go to work or to school. Sometimes we might be tempted to gossip. Sometimes we might be tempted to be impatient. Sometimes we might be tempted to be unchaste. Sometimes we might even be tempted to take something that does not belong to us.
“Because man is a composite being, spirit and body, there already exists a certain tension in him; a certain struggle of tendencies between spirit and flesh develops. But in fact, this struggle belongs to the heritage of sin. It is a consequence of sin and at the same time a confirmation of it. It is part of the daily experience of the spiritual battle” (Catechism of the Catholic Church #2516).
Satan can also cause temptation. The greatest victory of Satan in the contemporary world is the fact that many Christians have bought into the lie that he does not exist. Nevertheless, Satan’s power and influence starts at the beginning of the history of humanity, in the Garden of Eden.
Many people become discouraged and nervous when they are tempted. Many people can be scrupulous. They think that they are sinning when in fact they have only been tempted. Sin is only a sin when there is full consent. Temptation is not a sin; therefore, there is no need to mention temptation within the sacrament of confession. Actually, when we say no to the temptation and affirm our fidelity to the Lord, we need to realize that we have been victorious.
The continual interior struggle to be faithful to God does have great personal benefits. The struggle is a workout, and every work out makes us stronger and allows us to go deeper.
During the California gold rush, two brothers sold all they had and went digging for gold. They discovered a vein, staked a claim. All went well at first, but then a strange thing happened. The vein of gold disappeared. The brothers continued to pick away, but without success. Finally, they gave up in disgust.
They sold their equipment and claim rights for a few hundred dollars, and took the train back home. Now the man who bought the claim hired an engineer to examine the mine. The engineer advised him to continue digging in the same spot where the former owners had left off. Three feet deeper, the new owner struck gold. A little more persistence and the two brothers would have been millionaires themselves.
Although it is true that we will always be tempted, we must also do all that we can to avoid temptation. Men who trap animals in Africa for zoos in America say that one of the hardest animals to catch is the ring-tailed monkey. For the men of the Zulu tribe it is quite simple.
The method the Zulus use comes from their knowledge of the animal. Their trap is nothing more than a melon growing on a vine. The seeds of this melon are a favorite of the monkey. Knowing this, the Zulus simply cut a hole in the melon, just large enough for the monkey to insert his hand. The monkey will stick his hand in, grab as many seeds as he can, then start to withdraw it. He cannot do this because his fist is now larger than the hole. The monkey will pull and tug, screech and fight the melon for hours. He cannot get free of the trap unless he gives up the seeds, which he refuses to do. Meanwhile, the Zulus sneak up and seize him.
Prayer, daily Mass, filial devotion to our Lady, the reading of the Sacred Scriptures, Adoration, and the frequent reception of Confession are the proven remedies for temptation.
At the same time, it is essential that we avoid the occasions of sin that put us in the danger of not only being tempted, but also may cause us to sin. Young people who are preparing themselves for marriage need to be prudent about their relationship. Parents need to be vigilant about the use of the television, music, video games, and the Internet in their homes.
Parents that allow uncontrolled access to the Internet or have premium movie channels on their television system are not only placing themselves in the near occasion of sin, they are also causing a tremendous problem for their children.
The triple concupiscence of the world, the flesh and the devil are just as real today as they have been over the entire history of humanity. In this Sunday’s first reading from the Book of Genesis, the dark mystery of temptation and evil begins in the Garden of Eden.
Lent provides us with a special time of grace to examine our conscience and remove those things that are holding us back from a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ or may in fact be an obstacle to our eternal salvation.